A Russian icon depicting Madonna with Synaxis of Saints, 19th century

Tempera on panel

Height x width x depth: 34.5 x 29.5 x 3 cm. Weight 1370 g

tempera on panel, in the centre of the depiction is Mary in glory flanked by archangels and surrounded by saints, while in the upper part of the representation is the figure of Christ.
In the early church, the synaxis (from the Greek Sýnaxis: gathering) was the gathering of the faithful for the reading of the sacred books and the celebration of the Eucharist. Synaxis therefore alludes to the presence of a group of people (angels, saints and saints, metropolitans and monks) surrounding a central representation, thus in iconographic art it corresponds to a group of saints or angels surrounding Christ or Our Lady to glorify them. In the Orthodox liturgy such icons are usually displayed and celebrated on the day following an important feast day of which such saints were co-present.